Children's Home run by Grace Live In Carers T/A Grace247Care Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 1 Registered provider: Grace Live-in Carers T/A Grace24/7Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at a full inspection on 16 and 17 September 2024. Following this inspection, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These related to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the action taken by the provider to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

There have been no allegations or safeguarding concerns since the full inspection. All staff and the manager have completed refresher training in safeguarding and child protection.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual and the head of care have clarified their roles in managing safeguarding concerns to ensure that there are clear processes and lines of responsibility.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s individual plans and risk assessments have been updated to include more detail about the child’s needs. Additionally, they now contain comprehensive and clear strategies for staff to follow to support the child’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 2 The manager has implemented an incident tracker to support him to ensure that significant events are reviewed. However, the manager’s review and comments on the incident reports do not yet provide a reflection and evaluation of the incident to improve practice in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has also created a daily audit tool. This ensures that he has day-to-day oversight of the home and can identify any shortfalls and areas for improvement. This is shared with the responsible individual to provide her with oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Team meetings have taken place to review the actions raised at the last inspection and to create an action plan to improve practice. These meetings were well attended by the staff team and ensured that changes to processes were shared with the team.

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This monitoring visit

A case review was held following this visit. It was determined at the case review that the provider has acted to meet all the steps in the compliance notices served under regulation 12 and regulation 13.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining requirements regarding areas of concern raised at the full inspection were not considered during this visit. They remain in place and will be reviewed at the home’s next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they only agree placements for children whose needs they can suitably meet. In addition to this, the registered person must ensure that there are effective systems in place to assess whether children are suitable to live together and to identify any risks and strategies to reduce these risks. 31 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

engage with them; and 31 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 5 take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 31 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 6 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 31 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff receive training specifically to meet children’s individual needs and the model of care detailed in the statement of purpose. 31 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 31 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 7 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 31 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 8 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

(understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are encouraged and supported to participate in learning throughout the period that they are not in full-time education.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 31 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 9 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children. The home should be a homely, domestic environments which also complies with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)  The registered person should ensure that children receive care which meets their needs and promotes their welfare, taking account of the child’s religion, ethnicity and cultural background. Children would benefit from being supported by staff from a variety of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Grace Live-in Carers T/A Grace24/7Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Chambers Business Centre, Chapel Road, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL8 4QQ

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2805231 11 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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